Dance Lessons
by TheDoctorsCompanion13
Summary: Steve proves he never learned how to dance at the Avengers New Years Eve party so Loki takes it upon himself to teach him.


Loki appeared clearly out of place at the New Years Eve party the Avengers decided to throw. He held himself stiffly, unable to relax or unwind as he stood on his own by a wall. Everyone around him drank and laughed and danced but he couldn't get into the party spirit. He didn't even want to be there but his brother insisted it would be a show of good faith. A simple way to demonstrate that he no longer intended to cause harm or destruction. It seemed like a minor price to pay in theory, but he was starting to think he would rather they all hate him.

He subconsciously started fiddling with his suit jacket and tie to give his hands something meaningful to do as his eyes swept over the mess of a celebration. Stark's mansion had been decorated in brightly colored streamers and a few balloons as well as an obnoxiously large and shiny sign declaring it to be a "Happy New Year".

His brother and Tony drunkenly shouted about something he couldn't quite decipher as Tony's skillful hands still managed to mix more drinks. Loki supposed he'd been wasted so often that he could be fully functional with more than a few drinks in him. Bruce spent the night refraining from alcohol to keep himself in check but apparently found Clint's far from graceful dancing to be highly amusing. Loki noticed how the females in the room seemed to congregate with Jane, Pepper, Natasha, and several others speaking together in a tightly enclosed circle.

When Loki realized that his hands had been buttoning and unbuttoning his jacket for the past few minutes, he clasped them behind his back. He started to consider inebriation in hopes that it would make the party more interesting when he felt a presence to his right. He turned to see a mess of blonde hair with blue eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Captain," he said simply, returning his gaze to the rest of the party.

"Steve."

"What?"

"My name is Steve. It's what you can call me."

Loki stared at him once more, looking him over. "Steve," he said, as if testing it out on his tongue.

"Why are you just standing here? There are plenty of people to talk to," Steve wondered, genuinely curious.

His wide eyes were fixed on Loki's face and he found it almost unsettling. He finally turned his body toward him in a more conversational position since Steve didn't appear to be leaving any time soon. Loki frowned at him, gauging his sincerity before answering.

"Yes, there are many people but there's so little in common."

"I dunno. I have things in common with you, I think," Steve said, slurring his words slightly.

Loki almost laughed. "Oh? Please, Steve, enlighten me of our obvious similarities."

"Well," he began, brow creased in a struggle to find the right words. "From what Thor's said about you, we both are kind of outcasts."

Loki glanced around him at the lively party and back at Steve. "You? An outcast?"

"I don't belong here," Steve replied, following Loki's eyes around the room. "I shouldn't be here but I am. I try to blend in and make friends but there are times when I realize that I shouldn't be alive right now."

Loki stared hard at him as he spoke, absorbing and processing his words. He glanced down at his feet, suddenly finding it hard to meet Steve's eyes. "I will give you that."

When he looked back up, Steve was gone. He searched the crowd of people for him before finding him over by the bar with Tony and Thor. Tony still stood behind it, making drinks for himself and Thor, but he paused to place two glasses on the table and fill them with a caramel colored liquid. Steve nodded his head to him, talking enthusiastically with the two before grabbing both glasses and walking away.

Loki watched him, wondering which of the women his was getting a drink for, but was completely surprised when he walked right back to him. He extended one of his arms, offering the drink which Loki warily accepted. The short glass had been filled to the brim with crushed ice, leaving little room for whatever was actually in it.

"What is it?" he asked, staring at it as if he expected it to reveal itself.

"Just drink it," Steve laughed.

"That is not a reassuring response."

He lifted the glass as if to take a sip but smelled it instead. He grimaced at the bitter aroma and dropped his arm to his side. He had no intentions of ever ingesting it. Steve greedily downed the contents of his while Loki watched in disgust and awe.

"Where was I?" he wondered, thinking hard. "Oh! Right. Common ground. Well, before I was this," he said, gesturing to his body, "I was small and weak. I was picked on and looked down on but I knew I could be great. I wanted to be equal to them, to be better. I think that probably sounds familiar."

Loki nodded. "It does."

"So, you see, you're not alone. If nothing, you can always talk to me."

Steve smiled, his blue eyes shining through a thin drunken haze. He stood very close to Loki, their arms brushing every time one of them moved. Loki felt tempted to take a step back but he didn't. It looked like Steve was about to say something more when one of the women, Jane Foster, approached them.

"Steeeeve," she said in a drawn out whine.

"What is it, Jane?"

"Will you dance with me?"

Steve's expression suddenly changed, looking incredibly nervous. He glanced toward the bar where Thor still stood talking with Tony. "Wha-uh, what about Thor?"

"Ugh." She crossed her arms and turned his gaze toward the bar as well. "You try separating those two! I might as well not even exist. Please, Steve?"

He opened his mouth in seeming protest but Jane already had a hold of him. There was only enough time to hand his glass off to Loki before she gripped his arm and dragged him out into a patch of open space. Steve looked back to Loki, pleading for help with his eyes, but he wasn't sure what he could do.

Steve appeared fearful as he glanced down at his feet. Jane grabbed his hands and forcefully moved his body to the fast paced music. His limbs jerked around oddly as he tried to dance on his own but it looked more like he was having a seizure. Jane tried not to laugh and Loki found it very painful to watch but he couldn't look away. Luckily for everyone, the song didn't last long and Jane was kind enough to let him go. He returned to Loki's side with a deeper flush painting his cheeks.

"That was an excruciating display," Loki said, but a smile graced his face for the first time that night. It brought out a smile in Steve even through his humiliation. "Who taught you how to dance?"

"Uh, no one. I never learned. I was supposed to…," he trailed off, his smile dropping from his face. He was only gone a few seconds before he snapped back to reality. "Anyway, I doubt you could do better."

Loki raised his eyebrows indignantly. "You underestimate me."

"You know how to dance?"

"As a former prince, I was expected to attend many formal events, most of which included dancing. Thor and I both learned at a young age but I continued my lessons longer than he did. It helps to know how to move your feet on the dance floor and in battle."

Steve looked impressed. "You should teach me sometime."

Loki was taken aback but intrigued by the prospect. He considered it for a few moments. "Why sometime? Why not now?"

"Now?" He whipped his head around, looking at all of the people around them. "In front of everyone?"

"Steve, you just appeared as if you had a serious medical condition in front of everyone. This will be far more elegant."

Loki set the two glasses down on a nearby table and glided back to Steve. He held out his hand as an invitation to dance and Steve hesitated in accepting it. Once Steve slipped his hand into Loki's, he was led out into the same open space where he danced before.

"This isn't exactly ballroom dancing music," Steve said, paranoid of the people who were already turning to see them.

"Not a problem," Loki replied with a smirk.

Loki snapped his fingers and the music changed from a techno club song to a slow song, perfect for any ballroom. A collective grumbled wandered through the group at the change but they grew silent when they saw Loki and Steve. Loki was completely unaware of their curious eyes but they were all Steve could see.

"I, uh, didn't know you could do that," he said nervously.

"Parlor trick. Now, put your hand on my shoulder," Loki said, still holding Steve's other hand.

"Um, okay," he said, following his instruction.

Once his hand was in the right position, Loki grabbed Steve around the waist and pulled him closer.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching you to dance. Keep your arms straight. We'll go slowly at first so you can feel my movements. Watch and follow my feet until you have it down."

Steve looked down at the space between them and watched as Loki made the first step. He mimicked it, moving forward as Loki moved away. Then he followed the next step and the next until he began to notice a pattern. Before he knew it, they were increasing in pace and Steve managed to keep up without tripping over his own feet.

Steve forgot about all of the people watching them. They melted away until it was only himself and Loki. Finally, he felt comfortable enough to look up, having the steps down in his mind. Loki was watching him with a smile and Steve matched it ten fold.

"So, how am I doing?"

"Very well for your first lesson."

They lost themselves in the fluid movement until Tony broke the illusion.

"GUYS! Kill the music! The ball's about to drop!"

Steve and Loki stopped as Pepper rushed to turn off the stereo. Tony pulled out a remote and dropped a big screen TV from the ceiling and turned it on the proper channel. Everyone in the room gathered to where they could see it but the two didn't need to move to see. They stared transfixed at the screen and had forgotten to let go of each other. The crowd erupted in noise as the countdown began.

"10! 9! 8!…"

Loki found the custom strange but since Steve was also participating, he decided to join in.

"7! 6! 5! 4!…"

People started to pair off, Loki noticed, and he wasn't sure why.

"3! 2!…"

He felt Steve move his hand from his shoulder to the lapel of his jacket.

"1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Steve's hand tugged, pulling him down and forward until their lips met. Loki panicked, his heart pounding in his chest. The initial shock terrified him but the warmth and gentleness of his lips and hands eased him into it. He kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Steve's torso. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but they felt like they lost track of time. They pulled apart and Loki was breathless.

"That was… unexpected," he said.

"It's a tradition that we do, kissing someone at midnight on the New Year."

"I could've been warned. Not that it wasn't enjoyable." Loki gazed around at everyone still laughing and drinking. He looked for his brother and found him back by the bar. "Oh, brother. Why?"

"What?" Steve followed his eyes to see Thor and Tony, furiously making out against the wall to the point where he wasn't sure if it counted as fornication or not. "They are really into it."

"That is something I never needed to see. I think I should go and take my brother with me."

"Is that it?" Steve asked, a hurt expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked with a smirk. "This was only your first dance lesson. We'll have to meet again soon."

Loki grinned as Steve's face lit up like the fireworks that brightened the New York sky.


End file.
